Lawn bowling is the rest of the Commonwealth鈥檚 answer to curling.
The top 180 players in the country are at Juan de Fuca for the 2017 Canadian championships, which began Monday and run through Saturday.
鈥淚t can be described as curling on grass,鈥� said David Calam of Regina, president of Bowls sa国际传媒.
鈥淏ut the button [a white ball called a 鈥榡ack鈥橾 moves, bringing a whole other level of strategy.鈥�
As with curling, community and the social aspect is crucial to lawn bowling.
鈥淎nybody can play . . . grandkids can play this game with their grandparents,鈥� said Calam.
But, like curling, there is a top end that is highly competitive. That will be seen when sa国际传媒鈥檚 top five men and top five women lawn bowlers compete in the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia. In fact, the current Canadian championships are being held on the venue of the 1994 Victoria Commonwealth Games bowls competition.
鈥淭he Commonwealth Games are our Olympics,鈥� said Calam.
Own the Podium projects three medals for sa国际传媒 in lawn bowls at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. sa国际传媒 won two medals at the last world championships, in 2016 at Christchurch, New Zealand, so that is a reachable objective.
鈥淭he Commonwealth Games are a super-tough competition in our sport, but we are confident we can reach that goal,鈥� said Anna Mees, executive director of Bowls sa国际传媒.
鈥淲e have a talented group right now and we are excited about our chances.鈥�
All but two of sa国际传媒鈥檚 hopefuls for the Games are competing this week. World championship-medallists Ryan Bester and Kelly McKerihen are currently based in Australia, much like top curlers from around the world come to sa国际传媒 to be based and play.
Lawn bowls is played in singles, doubles, triples and fours.
The round-robin portion of the national championships runs this week through Friday with draws at 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. The medal rounds and finals are Saturday. Admission is free.
鈥淧eople can bring a lawn chair and come on down to watch,鈥� said Mees, emphasizing the friendliness and community roots of her sport.
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